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Abstract

In choir singing, the group factor is added to other aspects of singing. Choir singing is popular in many countries. In Sweden, singing in a choir at least once a week was reported by between 3 and 4 % of the adult population in the years 1982–2006. It has been more popular among women than among men. In the oldest category (75–84), the frequency increased during those years. An experiment on patients with irritable bowel syndrome (a gastrointestinal condition influenced by psychosomatic mechanisms) who started singing in a choir once a week during a year showed improvements in the endocrine and immune systems not seen in a control group of subjects who had group meetings without singing. An experiment performed with elderly who started choir singing for 2 years showed better health development than elderly in a control group.

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Correspondence to Töres Theorell .

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Theorell, T. (2014). Singing Together. In: Psychological Health Effects of Musical Experiences. SpringerBriefs in Psychology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8920-2_8

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